Europe's longest open-water swimming contest
Europe's longest open-water swimming contest
Location: Revfulop, Hungary
Over 10,000 competitors
//including children, pensioners and professionals//
plunged into the balmy waters of Balaton
to take part in the annual swim
across Central Europe's largest freshwater lake
(SOUNDBITE) (Hungarian) ORGANISER, ISTVAN MATH, SAYING:
"This is the longest distance open-water swimming contest in Europe. Normally one cannot swim across the Balaton as laws say you can only swim one kilometer in clear weather, and lifeguards only let you do 300 meters, so this is a unique ‘Hungaricum’ event in which you can swim across the Balaton. It only happens once a year."
66-year-old Bela Gurban
swam the 3.2-mile course
for the 38th time this year
(SOUNDBITE) (Hungarian) SWIMMER, BELA GURBAN, SAYING:
"Climbing out on the other shore isa very pleasant feeling. When you look back and then ahead and see that the lookout is getting closer – fir trees, the finish line, that in itself is the prize. And then you get out, tired because everyone is tired, but you look back and feel that you’ve overcome."
